Police open fire at Bangladesh protesters; 3 dead

The opposition parties also have held several general strikes in recent months.

Violent protests are common opposition tactics to embarrass the government in Bangladesh, a fragile parliamentary democracy that has a history of two successful and 19 failed military coups since 1971, when the country won independence from Pakistan.

On Jan. 19, the Bangladesh military said it foiled a plot by a group of hard-line officers, their retired colleagues and Bangladeshi conspirators living abroad to overthrow Mrs. Hasina.